


pass

by myefflorescence



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Boys In Love, Character Study, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, F/M, Love Triangles, M/M, Mutually Unrequited, One-Sided Attraction, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 01:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22227676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myefflorescence/pseuds/myefflorescence
Summary: she'd probably known way before they did // 29.12.19
Relationships: Aomine Daiki & Kagami Taiga, Aomine Daiki & Momoi Satsuki, Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga, Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga/Momoi Satsuki, Aomine Daiki/Momoi Satsuki, Kuroko Tetsuya & Momoi Satsuki
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	pass

She knew.

From the moment their hands firmly placed on top of each other, pressed against the rough, leathery surface of the basketball, something had begun to develop between them. Slowly, but surely, the seed which they had unknowingly sowed on the street court that one spring was growing into a tree as tall as they were, as steady as they had always been. Perhaps they were unaware of it themselves: it was no surprise - they were both idiots, too oblivious to see that the roots of the tree, so deeply embedded into the earth, ran a line straight to their hearts.

And it wasn’t even just their hearts – for some reasons, they were so in sync that it hurt to look at them knowing they were both too stubborn to admit. Subconsciously, they started to tune their movements to match each other and set a pace that the other would not have to strain to keep up with. She liked to imagine their dynamics as a conical flask, with its content on the verge of spilling everywhere if neither of them would just say a god damn word – really, the chemistry was so real that it wouldn’t take someone as perceptive as her to realize. What would, however, was all the different reasons they’d both give to convince her why things could take a turn for the worse and go so, so wrong; but because she was _Momoi Satsuki_ , she couldn’t ignore the degree of truth in their prediction even if it had stemmed from their insecurities.

One right push was all it’d take for them to abandon those doubts and finally do _something_ about their honest feelings. For Heaven’s sake, why was it that for the one decision in life which only required them to act impulsively out of instincts the way they always did, they suddenly decided to use their brains instead?! It was a mystery that she could never solve, even though she couldn’t really blame them for it.

_She’d probably known way before they did._

She’d probably known the day her childhood friend turned onto her and, with a distant, serious look in his eyes that was strange to others but not unfamiliar to her, asked if she believed in fate. Aomine Daiki was a selfish, high maintenance bastard to many and Momoi would be filthy rich should she get a yen for every reason she could list on why he wasn’t that. More than anyone, she knew – yes, she knew, as excruciating as the pain was when it tugged against the strings of her heart, that Aomine had always been the one who cared the most out of all of them. Sure, she and Kuroko were caught in the crossfires when their group fell apart: but Aomine had been the first to fall. He had been the first to have everything that mattered in his life, everything that ignited in him a bright hope for the future, brutally taken away and dowsed with a bucket of cold water. She knew he felt and he felt _hard_ , more than anyone, more than herself. He just had a hard time coming to terms with his own emotions and projecting them into actions, into words. Sometimes he ended up hurting her because of it, too – but when had Momoi let that got in the way of their friendship? She just couldn’t stay mad at him when she knew the explanation behind the way he acted.

And she was okay with it, too. She loved the _Dai-chan_ that would laugh and seek out her words of praise whenever he managed to pull off a new trick shot. She loved the _Aomine-kun_ that would get on her nerves and brutally push everyone away, hiding behind the wall he had built for himself. She loved the _Daiki_ that he was to her Satsuki when they would lay beside each other on the school’s rooftop, reminiscing of the days never to come back.

Because she loved him so, she masked the feelings that were eating her from inside out with pretense – pretense that came in the form of clinging to her _Tetsu-kun_ and crushing the sky blue-haired boy in her tight embrace where her trembling fists, unshed tears, and a broken heart would be able to hide. It was fine, because she knew Kuroko would never return her love had it been romantic. He understood her in all the right ways, with the mindset of someone who’d had their heart broken.

Sometimes, she wished she could have fallen for Kuroko instead.

But she didn’t.

And she really, really shouldn’t complain about it. Momoi only had herself to blame.

Still, even the acknowledgement of that fact did little to soothe her suffering.

She remembered standing on the sidelines, legs shaking and hands struggling to muffle the pitiful sobs that fought violently to escape from her throat. They’d won against Jabberwock – a victory not only for their team, but for the entire country as well. There were flying confetti everywhere, loud cheering, screaming, the screeches of shoes scraping against polished floor, the flashes of cameras going off in the distance. Riko’s cries were ringing in her ears; her vision, blurred with tears, desperate to find focus only on one figure.

The object of her thoughts wore a smile Momoi hadn’t seen in years. She had to pinch herself several times to remind that no, she was not hallucinating - Aomine was really there, breathing and alive, grinning that characteristic boyish grin of his, wide to the ears. She could practically see the euphoria of victory flashing in his sapphire eyes – the thrill of having a worthy opponent, of having slammed in the last buzzer beater, of having the best partner he could’ve ever asked for. He had one arm slung around Kagami’s broad shoulders, a gesture which the redhead happily returned. For a moment, she was blinded by the light surrounding them: it was akin to staring at two sides of the same coins, reflected by mirrors. They were so alike.

_Why do tears of happiness taste so bitter against her tongue?_

“Satsuki, I don’t know what to do.”

_Me too, Dai-chan_ , she wanted to say, but bit back on the words as he sought out her company later that very same night. The neighborhood playground had been their safe haven for as long as she could remember – image of a pink-haired little girl and her navy-haired companion sitting on the swings, competing on who could go the highest while their childish laughter filled the air sprung to life, vivid and nostalgic. They hadn’t been here since forever and– was that their initials messily carved into the tree trunk?

She knew what Aomine was talking about, of course, even though she felt bad that she was zoned out for pretty much most of it. He was struggling to come to terms with his feelings, she understood. Kagami was leaving for America and, unknowingly, taking with him the heart of her best friend as well. Her opinions had always been mixed about the redhead idiot: she was eternally grateful of him for bringing her Dai-chan back, of course, but at the same time, she was terribly envious of him.

They had a shared a connection that she never would be able to share – not with Aomine, not with Kuroko, not with any of the Miracles. Sure, she relished in the fact that she was the one who knew Aomine best off court, but on court? Momoi couldn’t quite say the same.

Her gaze averted towards Aomine. He was immobile in his seat, fists curled around the chains, head tilted towards the sky. The look in his eyes were full of uncertainty, doubts – things she couldn’t erase no matter how much she loved him. Aomine wasn’t a coward, but there were too many risks he wasn’t willing to take: what was his family going to think of him if they found out? How would they act? What would he do if Kagami said no? What would he do if Kagami said _yes?_

Then, as if sensing her gaze on him, he turned to stare right back at her. _Satsuki knew_. He’d always known that she knew, perhaps even before he did himself.

“Follow your heart, Dai-chan,” Momoi whispered, audible enough for him to hear. She gingerly tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and mimicked his position earlier, facing the night sky. The corners of her lips curved upwards in a smile, but somehow, Aomine had the impression that she was anything but the usual Satsuki he always knew. He’d recognize that look anywhere – it was the look of a lonely heart crying out for help.

“I won’t sugarcoat and say that things will work out the way you want it to. But you’ve been through worse and survived, so I’m sure that you’ll manage just fine! Even…” She swallowed dryly at this, struggling to maintain her smile.

“Even…if it’s without me.”

“The hell are you talking about?” His eyebrows furrowed in both annoyance and confusion. “What’s up in that mind of yours, Satsuki?”

She shook her head, willing the tears threatening to spill to stay within’ their place. “No, it’s nothing! Just glad someone’s finally come and take you away from me. I can’t wait to pass all the responsibility onto Kagamin!”

Her comment and the mention of that name earned an ungraceful snort from Aomine, who then proceeded to flick her forehead with his hand, sending her into a fit of complaints.

_"Don't think you can get rid of me that easily."_

…She really wasn’t selfish enough to ask him to stay. Even though she desperately wanted to. Even though she knew he would – the same way she had chosen Touou over Seirin that year. Aomine would never abandon her, but for that exact reason, she had to make him realize that no matter how hard he tried, he’d end up hurting her one day _(he already had),_ and it wasn’t going to be the death of either of them. She’s not sure when their friendship had begun to develop into something much, much more significant on her part. What she was sure of, however, was the fact that despite all the complexity it brought into this situation, she would never change a single thing. She hadn’t put her her heart into the wrong hands at all.

The next day, she caught Kagami Taiga outside Seirin, just before he departed for the airport.

“Take care of those bastards, won’t you?” He’d tell her, grinning widely, a fist hovering mid-air for her to bump. Her knuckles met his, a bit hesitantly at first before they started to press on more firmly.

“You can count on me!” He nodded, satisfied with her answer. In the distance, his name was called several times in an urgency that could not be ignored. Kagami shot her an apologetic smile, signaling that it was time for him to go.

“I’ll see you then, Momoi–“

“Wait!" She bowed low at the waist, pink tresses shielding silver tears from his crimson gaze. She didn’t need to elaborate – Kagami would understand. People really needed to give him more credits, he wasn’t as clueless as everyone made him out to be.  


"Kagamin…Thank you.” _For bringing him back. For accepting him._

When she looked up, Kagami was gone. Momoi turned on her heels and left for the park, where she knew the rest of the Miracles would be waiting for her.

Her heart was still heavy, its weight dragging her down with every step. But at very least, she knew she had made the right choice letting go. She wasn’t ready to let Aomine know of her personal feelings towards him just yet - perhaps one day, she would. Until then, she would teach herself how to nurse a broken heart first.


End file.
